It’s something we’ve all seen: students freezing up in mock interviews or struggling to articulate their brilliant ideas or extensive experience under pressure. But it doesn’t always have to be this way. As Queen’s continues to incorporate responsible use of AI into our employability toolkit, Big Interview is proving to be a genuine game-changer. This isn’t just another inert interview prep tool: instead, Big Interview uses AI to analyse, coach, and build student confidence in ways that stick, and which complement the work of our staff as part of our wider AI strategy to enhance student capability and prepare them for the workplace.
What does Big Interview do?
Big Interview uses AI to help students get the most out of their interview prep in a range of ways:
Real-Time AI Feedback: Students record their interview responses and get instant feedback on everything from tone and pace to speech pattern ‘ums’ and ‘likes.’ The software even picks up on eye contact and facial expressions: this helps students work on building their confidence when they’re in the room with careers consultants or when they’re in a real-life interview setting.
Tailored Practice Sessions: Big Interview provides Industry-specific questions with personalised feedback that evolves with each attempt. Students can genuinely see themselves getting better, boosting their confidence and increasing their knowledge in their chosen areas. This reduces the amount of time staff have to spend on going over the basics when coaching students, meaning that you can provide more strategic advice.
Progress Analytics: The AI tracks improvement over time, so students (and you) can see exactly where they’re nailing it and areas in which they need to improve. This is almost like having a 24/7 interview coach available to every student – something that we would love to offer, but could never hope to achieve. Instead, progress analytics enables you to monitor student progress, and work together on the areas that require most work.
Making Big Interview Work for You
Here’s how to get the most from Big Interview in your day-to-day at Queen’s:
Custom Assignments: Design tasks that reflect the real interviews your students will face, from specific industries to graduate schemes – whatever is relevant to them, and you.
Monitor Progress: Check up on who’s engaging and who might need a little extra assistance. The AI insights tool means that you can easily see students who might benefit from a follow-up chat or a more targeted conversation about their options.
Add Your Own Expertise: Big Interview is smart, but it can’t know your students like you do. The tool is just a jumping off point for more in-depth conversations and a way to add flexibility for how you engage with a varied student body with diverse needs and requirements.
Any questions?
Careers, Employability and Skills have a student guide which is ready to go – it provides a step-by-step explanation of Big Interview for students.
